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Staffers for the McCain campaign emphasized the continued differences between Obama and the president, particularly that the White House has not agreed to a specific timeframe.
AP Photo

The White House has “gone from no timeline, to a timetable,” said Susan Rice, Obama’s foreign policy adviser. “I think [the White House] discovered in terms of their negotiations with the Iraqi government that the Iraqi [position is] strikingly close to Obama’s position, if not identical.”

Maliki's push for a timetable — which his national security adviser hinted at two weeks ago — reflected the internal logic of Iraqi politics, which echoes the dynamic here in the United States: leaders, constrained by the unpopularity of American ongoing military presence in Iraq, feel pressure from their constituents to make a convincing case that they are committed to ending the American military presence.

Maliki’s interview in a German magazine, which appeared on the first full day of Obama’s overseas trip, seemed aimed at an American, as well as an Iraqi, readership. It’s the most aggressive comment Maliki has made to date while navigating a complicated political dynamic in which the prime minister of a sovereign nation has to take care with his comments about the US troops that continue to run much of his country lest he be accused of meddling in a foreign nation’s politics.

"Maliki needs to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that the United States is not going to be around forever," said David Dunford, a retired career foreign service officer and former ambassador to Oman who spent the spring of 2003 in Baghdad working for the Coalition Provisional Authority as a Senior Ministerial Liaison to Iraq's Foreign Ministry. "The Status of Forces Agreement is a public test of how the Iraqi government is going to look to Iraqis."

Obama supporters hope to trap McCain on the surge, even while conceding that violence in Iraq has dropped sharply since troop level went up: Either McCain is correct that the surge has changed the national dynamic, in which case it’s no better than a vestige, or it hasn’t, in which case it’s pointless to sustain it.

McCain has tried to counter by shifting the focus of his argument. According to a McCain adviser, the campaign began re-focusing its foreign policy argument last week to emphasize that it was the surge in troop levels, supported by McCain and opposed by Obama, that has allowed for the discussion of a scheduled withdrawal of American forces, opposed by McCain and supported by Obama. Still, that means arguing the surge has already accomplished its goals, which cuts against his argument for maintaining an American military presence in Iraq.

When McCain has used his military background to tout his commander-in-chief credentials, Obama has responded by claiming that his initial opposition to the war in Iraq demonstrates his sounder judgment on world affairs. Until this week, Obama’s argument seemed entirely backward-looking — it was, after all, not a policy proposal but rather a boast about his view on a decision that had already been made. Now, though, McCain’s support for the surge seems equally academic going forward, as Washington and Bagdhad have moved toward Obama’s call for a timetable for withdrawal.

Obama’s upcoming meeting with Maliki may clarify the extent to which the Iraqi prime minister is throwing his weight behind Obama’s position, and the extent to which he’s using it to gain leverage over a lame duck president eager for a foreign policy triumph.

“Maliki’s comments are not going to determine the outcome of the election,” Holbrooke said. “But they still leave McCain in a very tough spot and could reshape the dynamic of the debate on Iraq dramatically in Obama’s favor.”

Readers' Comments (2828)

It may not sway many voters, but on Friday, as Barack Obama embarked on an extended trip abroad intended in large part to shore up concerns about his commander-in-chief bona fides

It will sway many liberal lemmings. To a lemming, one road trip is worth 30 years of experience... especially with NBC, CBS and ABC "news" anchors in tow. Obama is now ready to take the throne.

Next, Obama will visit master chef Todd English and will be crowned the master chef of the world after a 5 minute kitchen tour. What happens if Obama gets a tour of the Bunny Ranch in Reid's homestate of Nevada? Hmmmm...

By the way, if every Muslim country endorses Obama along with every terrorist islamic group and every current leader in Black Liberation Theology (i.e. hate whitey) ... do they know something we don't know?

Why did the left-wingers at Politico use that picture of McCain? Look the odd man out is Obama, clearly. He along with his Party and his pals in our corrupt liberal MSM wolfpack press pushed as hard as they could to retreat from Iraq 1 1/2 years ago, for political reasons only. The war in Iraq is coming to a SUCCESSFUL close thanks to the "father" of the surge John McCain...............THAT'S THE STORY POLITICO. The "real story" is Obama was WRONG on this decision and used poor judgement to "just pack up and move out in 16 months"................vs John McCain's plan to stablize this new Democratic government and allow for the US Armed Forces training of the Iraqi army and police force. Our SUCCESSFUL work in Iraq is almost done and OF COURSE we will be drawing out our US troop levels. But Obama get ZERO CREDIT for this SUCCESS.............McCain gets the credit.......................and KUHN the American people KNOWS that he gets the credit!!!!!!!!! See you on November 4th.......

Obama continues to "cling" stubbornly to his 16 month draw down which isn't tied to any condidtions on the ground. It's a very stranage strategy because it's not a strategy ...........................it's simply a "typical policial move". ONCE AGAIN Americans can see that Obama uses poor judgement............................and it's because he has no "experience", at all. Obama has not only become the biggest flip flopper of the campaign but now he's clearly the most "stubborn", something I guess that he might have in common with Bush. Imagine that.....................!

That is a FLAT OUT LIE. Ron (sold crack) raygun destroyed the protections against swamping the media with propaganda/lies the way they are doing now. You need to quit watching Faux Noise and get a grip on a NON-FASCIST reality.

OH, & BTW: Obama agrees with YOU, not me on that. Obama Does Not Support Return of Fairness Doctrine (He DOES support Hitler style attacks on our rights & freedoms): http://www.broadcastingcable.c...

If you looked into what Obama is really about, the rabid warmongering rethugs would be flocking to vote for him & his planned escalations of the illegal war$ of agggre$$ion ba$ed on lie$ & greed. oBOMB'em warmongers against more innocent countries than M C(ins)ain.

Quite the opposite. McCain is the one being practical about troop draw downs.You can't pick an arbitray time like a president getting sworn in to decide it's time to throw in the towel. If Obama sticks to his hard timeline and wins in Nov. foreign fighters will start descending on Iraq like flies waiting for our troops to pull out. You don't make military plans based on what your donors are telling you to do and that's what is going on with Obama. It will also demoralize troops who feel like they will be abandoning their mission before the job is done. Every day Iraqis who have finally gotten use to the securitythe troops have given them will return to fear about going in the streets. The liberals don't give a damn about the mass chaos that will ensue if we leave too fast. In fact they would use the chaos to say "look what Bush got us into". Not only that,the 16 month time frame is total lunacy in it's own right.It's logistcally impossible. If Iraq becomes the deciding issue in the fall, McCain wins because people will trust his judgement more.

The success of the surge is what allows all talk of a troop withdrawal. The troops have done well. When we remove our troops it will be because the conditions on the ground allow it to happen, and not because of arbitrary reasons.

McCain is consistent, and clearly respects the troops and us back home, who want to make the right choices with the right information. He is the only candidate worth considering at this point in time. McCain is not spinning the war, he is telling it like it is.

The Dems and BH Obama are exploiting disinformation about Iraq to persuade the American people. What dishonesty! They don't belong in the White House. Their performance in the House is equally bad.

My assesment after reading this piece is that McCain is extremily out of touch. You don't have to twist your panties because my comment hurts your feelings. It was towards McCain, not your boyfriends. Though the latter is not mutually exclusive.

That is a FLAT OUT LIE. Ron (sold crack) raygun destroyed the protections against swamping the media with propaganda/lies the way they are doing now. You need to quit watching Faux Noise and get a grip on a NON-FASCIST reality.

OH, & BTW: Obama agrees with YOU, not me on that. Obama Does Not Support Return of Fairness Doctrine (He DOES support Hitler style attacks on our rights & freedoms): http://www.broadcastingcable.c...

If you looked into what Obama is really about, the rabid warmongering rethugs would be flocking to vote for him & his planned escalations of the illegal war$ of agggre$$ion ba$ed on lie$ & greed. oBOMB'em warmongers against more innocent countries than M C(ins)ain.

OH, & BTW: Obama agrees with YOU, not me on that. Obama Does Not Support Return of Fairness Doctrine (He DOES support Hitler style attacks on our rights & freedoms)

LogicalSolutions: Jul. 21, 2008 - 5:19 AM EST

By the way, if every Muslim country endorses Obama along with every terrorist islamic group and every current leader in Black Liberation Theology (i.e. hate whitey) ... do they know something we don't know?

WILLFUL IGNORANCE noun- The practice or act of intentional and blatant avoidance, disregard or disagreement with facts, empirical evidence and well-founded arguments because they oppose or contradict your own existing personal beliefs.

Please that is no way to talk about the MSM and Politico. They are just a bunch of short, fat, balding,sweaty guys from NY trying to make a buck.

McCain is clearly superior on matters of foreign policy. It is incredulous that Obama is taken seriously on any matter since he only has 6 months experience. His election would send us right back to the Jimmy Carter years.

Once again obama and his cronies, the press, grab at something to make it more than it is. Check the details and you will see that we will be in Iraq for the long haul; as long as the war on terror lasts. That anyone would even consider that obama has any rational view on this war is as stupid as he is. He has no idea what he is even looking at on his educational tour. How can he assess Iraq when he was against the surge? How can assess Afghanistan when he has no idea what is really what war is about? Obama wines and we lose the war, and our culture.